Oil-gauge mounting



De. 14, 1926.' l 1,610,617.

J.v L. SCHMIDLING y n l on. GAUGE Mouwrme Filed August 28, 1922VPatented Deje. 14, 1926.

This

JOSEPH L. SCHMIDLING, 0F MILITAUKEE, VJISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE`HALF T0EDWARD A. SPRAGG, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

Application filed August 28, 1922. Serial No. 584,756.

This invention relates to improvements in oil gauge mountings. Thisapplication is a companion to my application relating to the samesubject matter, filed July 8, 1922, Serial No. 573,695. Like theapplication above referred to, the subject rmatter of this applicationrelates to a special fitting adapted for the mounting of an oil gauge ofthe type disclosed in my co-pending application, filed March 27, 1922,Serial No. 547,264.

The oil gauge referred to comprises a tubular well associated with theoil reservoir of an internal combustion engine andarranged to receive agauge stick or rod which will indicate the level of oil in the reservoirby the extent to which oil adheres to the rod when the rod is withdrawnfrom the well. In `my companion application, No. 573,695, I disclosedafitting which was adaptable, by reason of its peculiar construction, toa great many diiiierent types ofcars. Its adaptation, however, wasrather closely limitedby reason of the fact that it wasentirelynon-adjustable. I found that in many cars, even cars of a singlemake, the oil holes are bored at such a variety of angles that-a deviceof the character shown in my above identified application can not meet:the requirements. Accordingly, it is the primary object of thisinvention to provide an oil gauge mounting which` will be extremelyflexible in its adjustment so that the tubular element which comprisesthe well finay be disposed at any angle necessary to meet therequirements of the particular motor with which it is associated.

.It isa further important object orP this invention to provide means.tor securing the device 'in `adjustment at the desired angie,`

said means being sucli as to need no adjustment and to be readilyaccessible.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tubular oil gauge attached to afitting embodying` this' invention, one portion ofy the iitting beinginclined away from the observer.` .Figure 2 is a similar view, the ttingbeing shown in a section taken on planes including the axes of the ductstherethrough.l

Figure 3 is a view of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2, taken at 90ofrom said? figures and illustrating the tubular body of the oil gauge indifferent positions `of adjustment with reference to thatv portion oitthe iitting which is attachedto the crank case of the motor.

FFicnf Figure i is a view upon a reduced scale showing in side elevationvthe application of a fitting embodying vthis invention to a motor crankcase.

Figure 5 is a detail view'in plan of vbracing means shown in Figure 4.

Like parts are identiied by the same reference characters throughout theseveral views.

At 10 in Figure et is representedthe lower portion of the crank case ofa motor vehicle. 11 represents the upper portion thereoiand it will benoted that the two portions 10 and 11 are provided with abutting flanges12 and 13, secured together by a suitable bolt or-stud and nut 14. It isnot intended to represent' any `particular internal coinbustion engine.rIhe showing of Figure 4 should rather be understood to bediagrammatic.V It is a fact,.however, that a large number of automobilemotors 4of modern design are provided withv the flanges Y12 and 13between upper and lower crank case members, said flanges beingsecured-together in the manner indicatedf A portion of the vehicleramejis' shown lin section at l5, and 16 represents the under pan. rIhecrank case in many motors is provided with openings 17 and 18-iiitodrain cocks of the type shown at A19 and are feo ordinarily inserted tolserve as-means yfor testing the level of oil within the Acrank case.Such drain cocks, however,'be1ng disposed in narrow yquarters betweenthe-crank 'case and the under pan 16, are very inac-v cessible and aregenerally dirty and otherwise inconvcniently disposed for operation.rI`he present invention contemplates the `use Vof an oil gauge of thecharacter kabove set forth, which is to be mounted in the lower openingV18 of the base of the crank case and which will project `upwardly tosuoli a heightthat it will be conveniently accessible at a point abovethe frame member 15.

The tubular oil gauge'body, which *comprises the well above referred, isshown at 20. It is closed at its upper end by a cap 21 to which is.attached a gauge stickfor rod `22.'

When it is desired to ascertain the level of oil in the crank case, thecap 21 may beseized and the rod 22 withdrawn thereby Jfrom the well. Aninspection of the rod and of the pipe to which oil adheres thereto willdisclose the level of oil in the crank case.

The present invention relates to novel means for supporting the tubularoil gauge body 20 from the crank case in a manner permitting access ofoil to its interior and to the rod 22. To this end a centrally aperturedplug 24 is provided which is threaded at 25 to fit the opening 18 in thecrank case. The central bore or opening 26 communicates with theinterior of the crank case when the plug is inserted in opening 18. Plug2a is provided with an enlarged head 28 which is preferably madehexagonal in order that the plug may readily be manipulated with anordinary wrench, In one of the facets or side of the hexagonal head 28is formed a threaded opening 29 adapted to receive the correspondinglythreaded shank 3() of a plug 31 somewhat similar to plug 2li. The plug31 is provided with a central aperture 32 which communicates with theopening 26 in plug 24C. rlhe plug 31 also has a her agonal head 83 inone of the side. faces in which there is a threaded opening 34E of asize adapted to receive the lower threaded extremity 35 of the tubularoil gauge body 20. lt will be seen that the interior of the tubular body2O is put into communication through openings 84;, 32, and 26 with the.interior of the crank case of the motor.

F rom the foregoing it will be apparent that, reduced to its simplestterms, this invention contemplates the use of a pair of centrally boredplugs joined with their axes substantially at right angles and providedwith means for receiving the body of the oil gauge and supporting it atright angles to the axis of the second plug. rlhus the angular positionof the oil gauge body can be varied in two separate planes by regulatingthe depth to which the plugs 2a and 31 are screwed into place. Forexample, the angular position of the body 2O in a vertical planedisposed longitudinally of the vehicle will be determined by the extentto which the threaded plug-2a is screwed into the motor crank case.Thereafter the extent to which plug 31 is turned into plug 2a willdetermine the angular position of the oil gauge body 2O in a planetransverse with respect to the vehicle. A further advantage of theconstruction illustrated is that the oil gauge body 20 is offset to anextent determined by the length of the shank portion of plug 31. Thus,even though the holes 17 and 18 are in vertical alignment, it will notbe necessary for the drain cock 19 to be removed in order to mount theoil gauge 20. By reason of the odset construction above described theoil gauge body will satisfactorily clear the drain cock 19 which may,therefore, be allowed lto remain undisturbed.

Leider? @rdinarily it is contemplated that when the threaded shank 25 ofplug 2li is rigidly secured in place in the crank case by being turnedtherein to the full extent permitted by the threads, the opening 29 willbe disposed at one side of the plug with its axis substantiallyhorizontal. Generally the only adjustments necessary are those made in aplane transverse with reference to the vehicle. W hen plug 2stisproperly positioned therein, plug 31 will be screwed into the opening 29of the first mentioned plug and care will be taken that as plug 31approaches the limit of its movement it may be stopped with the openingSel thereof disposed at an angle adapted to support the oil gauge body20 in the desired position. (lrdinarily the exact angle can readily befound and the plug will permanently retain its adjusted position. lt isrecognized, however, that an unskilful operator may screw plug 31 toofar into the threaded opening 2) at the time of its first insertion sothat it may be necessary to unscrew the plug slightly to obtain thedesired adjustment. Under such circumstances plug:` 31 will not be soapt to retain its position of adjustment. lt will necessarily beslightly loose in that position. ln order, therefore, to guard againstany subsequent displacement of the oil gauge body 20 under circumstancessuch as those outlined above, I preferably provide a. plate 88 aperturedat 39 to receive the body portion 2O of the oil gauge, and alsoapertured to receive the securing bolt or stud 1li which is verticallyremote from the aperture 18 and holds together flanges 12 and 13 of thecrank case. lllhen the plate 3S is in place it serves as a tie torestrain the oil gauge body 2O against any movement about the axis ofthe threaded opening 29, and thereby secures the device in the desiredadjustment regardless of whether plug 31 is threaded tightly into plug2a or not.

lt will be noted that although a lock nut upon the threaded shank 30 ofplug 31 would be equally eeetive in securing the device in adjustedposition, the tie 38 is preferable, by reason of the fact that it ismore accessible to an operator and can readily be positioned in spite ofthe limited space available between the crank case and the under pan. ltmustalso be obvious that regardless of the angle at which the opening 18in the crank case is bored, the character of the fittings disclosedherein is such that the tubular oil guage body can always occupy thesame angular position with respect to the crank case and to vehicleframe.

l claim:

1. The combination with an apertured crank case provided with anavailable stud vertically remote from the aperture therein, of an oilguage body, a hollow fitting adapted to be threadedly engaged with theaperture 10 terior of saidcrank case,

in the crank case, a second hollow ittinghaving a tubular stem disposedat right angles to the direction of the hollow in said first mentionediitting and lin threaded connection 5 with said iirst mentioned fittingwhereby to be rotatably adjustable with respect thereto, means forsupporting the oil guage body from saidv second fitting in communicationthrough both of said fittings with the inand a plate apertured toreceive said body and to receive said stud upon the crank case, wherebythe oil guage body may be anchored in a desired angular adjustment withreference to the 15 crank case.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination with an apertured container for oil, of a plug threadedinto said aperture and provided with a lateral opening, a second plugthreaded in said opening and likewise provided with a lateral opening,said plugs being bored to afford communication Vbetween said lastmentioned opening and JOSEPH L. soHMIDLING. j

